Jacob Carpenter

Urban Edge’s most-read stories in 2025: Public housing, population growth articles top the list

These seven Urban Edge articles garnered the most reader interest in a busy year for Houston.

Houston’s committee for enforcing apartment standards sits dormant. Will City Council revive it?

1 in 5 Texas students are still missing lots of school — and attendance isn’t getting much better

Roughly 20% of Texas public school students were chronically absent in 2023-24, new data shows, a marginal decline from the prior year and well above than pre-pandemic levels.

Who are Harris County’s unauthorized immigrants? These charts detail their diverse backgrounds.

New estimates from the Migration Policy Institute shed light on Harris County’s 600,000-plus unauthorized immigrants.

A new state plan calls for big investments in public transit. What it could mean for Greater Houston.

A statewide public transportation plan proposes better bus connectivity and new high-speed rail for Houston.

Texas’ fastest-growing path to ‘college readiness’ leaves many high schoolers unprepared

College prep courses are booming in high schools, but mounting evidence shows they’re not equipping students for success.

How can Houston help more locals climb the income ladder? 3 economic mobility experts offer their take.

The region's first Economic Mobility Summit spurred conversation and ideas for helping more Houstonians improve their long-term earnings outlook.

Houston reports fewest available beds in 20-plus years as unsheltered homelessness rises

What’s Texas State Technical College? A look at the school behind Proposition 1 on voters’ ballots.

Congress’ debate over ‘Obamacare’ subsidies stands to impact 1 million Houstonians

For more than 1 million Houstonians benefiting from Affordable Care Act subsidies, the argument in Washington over continuing the support hits close to home.

Hurricane Beryl remains a disruptive force for some Harris County residents, survey shows

Texas community college bachelor's degree programs are booming. Why aren’t more students enrolling?

Texas community colleges are rapidly adding bachelor’s degree programs, aiming to help workers and businesses fill high-demand, high-paying jobs.

Texas’ urban counties invest billions in medical safety nets. Their suburban neighbors don’t.

Fort Bend County and other suburban communities haven't adopted hospital districts, leaving many residents with few options for affordable health care.

Do Houston residents support mass deportation? Here’s what 9,800 of them said

On immigration, a strong majority of Houstonians agree: Increase pathways to citizenship, stop mass deportation, let “Dreamers” stay, and finally fix a broken system.

‘Clear need to ramp up’: How Houston can better prepare for the AI boom

To become an AI machine, Houston still has some learning to do.